NNPP Petitions LPPC, Accuses Mato of Barefaced Abuse of Court Process
By Ruth Sunday/ Rahanetu Abuh
The New Nigeria People’s Party, NNPP, has petitioned the Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee, LPPC, accusing Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, Mr. Magaji Mato Ibrahim, of gross professional misconduct and conduct allegedly inconsistent with the ethical standards expected of a holder of the prestigious legal rank.
The party alleged that Ibrahim’s actions constitute breaches of the Rules of Professional Conduct, RPC, for Legal Practitioners, particularly Rules 15(1), 15(3)(d), and 30.
According to the petition, Rule 15(1) requires lawyers to maintain a high standard of professional conduct and refrain from behaviour unbecoming of a legal practitioner.
Rule 15(3)(d) prohibits lawyers from knowingly filing suits or taking actions that merely serve to harass, maliciously injure others, or amount to an abuse of court processes.
While rule 30 bars legal practitioners from engaging in conduct that obstructs, delays, or perverts the administration of justice.
The NNPP alleged that Ibrahim abused judicial processes through the filing of multiple frivolous applications, instituting parallel proceedings on the same subject matter in different courts, engaging in forum shopping, and employing what it described as dilatory tactics aimed at frustrating the course of justice and exerting undue political pressure.
The petition states: “The respondent to the petition has grossly undermined and desecrated the sanctity of this exalted rank. Through the calculated and persistent deployment of the law as a weapon for desperate political advantage on behalf of his clients, he has engaged in barefaced abuse of the court process.”
The party also questioned Ibrahim’s continued entitlement to the rank of SAN, arguing that the title is reserved for legal practitioners who have distinguished themselves through integrity, ethical conduct, professional excellence, and unwavering commitment to the rule of law.
According to the NNPP, the respondent’s alleged actions undermine the sanctity of the exalted rank and fall short of the standards expected of a Senior Advocate, who is regarded as a role model within the legal profession and a guardian of justice.
The party further maintained that the alleged conduct represents a breach of the oath taken upon admission to the Bar and elevation to the Inner Bar, adding that it has eroded public confidence in the legal profession and the administration of justice.
Urging LPPC to act, the petition contended that the alleged misconduct strikes at the heart of the rule of law and called on the committee to take appropriate disciplinary action in line with its constitutional mandate.